The present invention relates in general to furniture, and in particular, a new and useful apparatus for gathering and holding the corners of unstructured fabric furniture covers so that the covers conform well to the furniture.
The use of unstructured fabric furniture covers on sofas and chairs has grown markedly over the past few years. Accessory products have recently been developed to address some of the problems with furniture covers in use. See, for example, U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 08/417,933 and 08/270,057, filed Apr. 6, 1995 and Jul. 1, 1994 respectively, and co-invented by the present inventor.
Included among the problems are loose, messy fit; disheveled appearance; and erratic pleating at the arms. The present invention is intended to give the cover user additional control over the placement and maintenance of fabric covers on furniture.
Typically, according to the manufacturers' instructions, an unstructural furniture cover, that is, a large, flat, fabric rectangle, is draped over a sofa and hand-tucked around the seating perimeter. The fabric, now formed to the cushion area, runs over the arms and front and up and over the back of the sofa, hanging loosely in folds or bunches. Next, the cover makers suggest that excess fabric spilling onto the floor be tucked under the sofa. Then an elasticized skirt is placed about the base of the sofa as a means of containing the untidy outer folds with a finishing touch. For a more regular, tailored look, the makers recommend the use of screw pins to hold particular pleats and folds in place. Screw pins are also suggested as a means of holding the skirt to the cover and also for anchoring the whole assembly to the sofa upholstery itself. As a final controlling hint, the makers suggest strategically hand-tacking the cover and skirt with needle and thread.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,825,909 discloses the use of elastic cords connected to various portions of a furniture slip-cover, for structuring the cover closely around furniture such as an armchair or sofa. U.S. Pat. No. 1,857,418 discloses initially unstitched seams in a partially structured furniture cover which, to achieve a final fit, are stitched after the cover is fitted onto the furniture.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,884,993 discloses the use of bands and fasteners for fitting a slip cover to a chair or sofa. U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,407 discloses the use of tubes which are stitched in the portions of a slipcover which will eventually cover inner or outer corner areas of the furniture, and pull cords in the stitched tubes. After covering the sofa or chair, the cords are pulled to gather the cover at the corner areas, thus producing shirring effect.
None of the references suggest any method or apparatus which is capable of converting an unstructured furniture cover, such as a simple rectangular sheet of fabric, into a cover which conforms closely to the furniture.